State loan for Westland Milk

[29 November/Rural News] A loan of $10 million from the Provincial Growth Fund to Westland Milk Products will enable the dairy co-operative to build a new $22million plant at Hokitika. The plant will allow Westland to separately process multiple types of special quality milks into high value products, these are likely to include A2 milk and Ten Star Premium Standard milk. Chief Executive, Toni Brendish, said there is also potential, in later stages of the project, for other segregated products such as grass-fed, pure Jersey, goat or sheep milk, or even plant-based nutrition to be processed through the plant. The new plant, a first for the New Zealand dairy industry, will allow the co-operative to produce high value segregated product even during the peak milk season. Ms Brendish stated that it makes sense to focus on low volume, segregated, high value products that are far less susceptible to the cycles of the global dairy trade market. The plant will be operating in time for the 2019-20 season.